View full sizeAP File PhotoIn this June 21, 2002, file photo, visitors and residents spend the day on the beach in Belmar, N.J.View full sizeAP PhotoA bird flies over oil that has collected on wetlands at Elmer's Island in Grand Isle, La.Folks who like to spend weekends down the shore probably thought the biggest threat to their summer fun and safety had been neutralized when MTV announced the Gym Tan Laundry crew would shack up in Miami to shoot a new season of "Jersey Shore."

Oscar Schofield, an oceanography professor at Rutgers University, says those fears may be unfounded. If and when crude from the Gulf arrives on Garden State shores, it'll likely be about as potent as Snooki's tanning oil.

"The farther it goes north, the more diluted it’s going to be," Schofield said.

“The last thing we want to do is scare anyone because I think it’s very unlikely New Jersey will be affected."